


The Incomplete Works of AmyNChan

by AmyNChan



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 17:58:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12194877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyNChan/pseuds/AmyNChan
Summary: I've kept these stories on my computer for too long and they need to be set free.  XD  Some of them are outlines, some of them I just dove into, and some of them actually diverge at specific points.  I'll let you know my inspiration, my ideas for the future of the story (if there were any), and release these half-formed babies into the world!Without further ado, here's my collection of incomplete works~!  *^_^*





	1. AI

**Author's Note:**

> This first piece was inspired by the idea of an AI akuma. The thing that stopped me here was that I enjoy getting bogged down with technical aspects and I couldn't figure out how to move it along. XD I hope you enjoy it~! *^_^*
> 
> Ending note: Adrien was meant to be a private tutor, hired specifically to teach the robot as though it were a learning child. He'd built a personal relationship with the robot, or tried at least, in order to give him some friendly interaction. I wasn't sure if Miraculous Cure would save Charles or reset him. It was really interesting to think about. XD (put it here so the ending note wouldn't end up on every chapter. X'D)

**Chapter 1**

“I know about this guy!” cried Chat as the two avoided yet another barrage.

“Will it help us find the akuma?” asked Ladybug, who had far surpassed her patience threshold.  It was as if this akuma never tired, never slept, and generally wasn’t affected by the passage of time at all.  His only weakness was how quickly he was prone to anger, which had given them several chances for their attacks to land.  Unfortunately, the hits they did land seemed to have little to no effect.  Though they could feel a sturdy resistance from the akuma with each hit, the lack of pain sensors would not allow the heroes to tell just how far he was resisting.  Normally they could at least wind their opponent a little, but this…

“Maybe,” said Chat.  “You remember the gamer?  And stoneheart?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, I don’t think this guy’s like either of those!”

Ladybug voiced her annoyance as soon as she felt it.  “Then why bring them up at all!?”

“Because it’s easy to see how he might be like them, but he’s not!  Gamer was a mecha akuma, based around robots!  Stoneheart was literally turned into a being made of stone!”

“Chat, in case you didn’t notice, this guy is _some kind of metal!_   I really think that the akuma did that much, at least!”

“But it didn’t!  This is—WOAH!”

Chat barely ducked to avoid another attack.  Sure enough, when the duo turned to face their opponent, he was seething in anger.

“Don’t you _dare_ ignore me!  Don’t you _dare!_ ” cried the akuma, lashing out another imprecise attack.  Ladybug swung out of the way while Chat vaulted to safety, his expression rather blown away.

“Impressive,” whispered Chat while Ladybug could only groan.

“Now’s not the time to be impressed by the akuma!”

“I’m not impressed with the _akuma_ , My Lady, I’m impressed with—WATCH OUT!” Chat slammed his partner away as yet another barrage decimated the surrounding area.  Now when Ladybug looked, the victim had the most miserable expression on his face.

“Why do you keep ignoring me!?” shrieked the akuma, lashing out again.  “Why won’t you listen to me when I say I hurt?!  I CAN HURT, DA—”

“Ah-ah-ah,” tutted Chat, interrupting the akuma.  “Kids your age shouldn’t swear, after all.”

“Chat, he looks like he’s about sixteen.  I think cursing is the least of his worries,” stated Ladybug, glaring at Chat for a moment.  When she turned back, however, the akuma had flashed yet another expression.

“Oh, Ladybug!  Finally, someone understands!” gushed the akuma with a sparkle in his eyes.  “Do you have any idea how alone I’ve been feeling?  Do you know how strange it is for some people to even think that I have _worries_ at all?  Oh, Ladybug, you’ve made me so happy!”

The akuma stopped mid-sentence when a purple outline covered his face.  It was then that Chat approached her once more.

“My Lady, that’s not a sixteen year old kid,” said her partner.  “It’s not even human.”

“Seriously, Chat?” questioned Ladybug, glaring at her partner.  “Of course he’s human underneath all that twisting.  I thought you would know better than anyone that akumas can take any form they want, like Anima—”

“No, LB, I mean it’s really not human.  It’s—”

“HOW DARE YOU!!”  The akuma screeched in rage, immediately tailing Chat as he and Ladybug split up.  “HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH THINGS!  SHE WAS UNDERSTANDING!  I’LL TAKE OFF HER EARRINGS AND WE’LL RUN AWAY INTO THE SUNSET AND WE’LL BE HAPPY TOGETHER!”

…what.

“You can’t do that!” yelled Chat in return.  “She needs those and only one cat is gonna carry her into the sunset!”

Ladybug could feel a headache coming on.  Since when did the akuma have a crush on her?  Weren’t original goals supposed to be the main focus of akuma?  What even was the akuma’s goal?

“I’m going to need an doliprane when I get home,” muttered Ladybug as she threw her yoyo into the air and gathering her lucky charm.  “An outlet?”

Ladybug glanced around, a plan quickly forming in her head.  She hurried to grab a few loose wires and a stray battery.  Nothing major, but a small shock would stun any person for a few seconds, akumatized or not.

“Chat!  Over here!” called Ladybug, and her partner faithfully ran over.  It wasn’t long before he understood what her plan was.

“My Lady, I don’t think—”

“I have you now!” cried the akuma, latching onto Chat’s tail and beginning to pull him back.  Ladybug, irritated already, decided to put her plan into action.  She leapt forward, using the outlet as a director, and used the wires to stun their opponent.

The instant the wires hit, the entire akuma victim sparked and fizzled, loud popping noises coming from every joint and an eerie hiss leaking from his mouth.  Ladybug took a step back, mentally cataloguing where the akuma could be hiding while checking the victim over for any last tricks.

“It should wear off soon, we should find—”

“It won’t wear off for another few hours, LB,” said her partner from behind.  Ladybug turned to face him, questions on the tip of her tongue, when she saw his face.  It was pulled and distorted into the saddest and most disappointed look she had ever seen.  Even his ears were pulled closely to his head and his eyebrows pinched in anguish.  “…if it does at all.”

“What do you mean?” asked Ladybug, allowing herself to relax when she saw their opponent was not moving from his stunned state.  “What’s going on?”

Chat Noir hefted a large sigh before walking around her and placing one delicate hand atop the victim’s head.  “My Lady, meet Charles, the world’s first artificial intelligence.”

 

* * *

* * *

 

**Chapter 2**

 

“Aren’t AI supposed to be in future dystopian novels to scare people away from making them?” asked Ladybug, glancing over her partner and the victim—which had still not moved since her shocking charm.

“Maybe a fully-fledged AI isn’t right to say,” remarked Chat, taking a few steps closer to the akumatized victim.  “Right now, he’s still a series of programs set to make decisions and attempt to function as a human might.  A special team was working on creating a bot that will be able to think and decide for itself, and Charles is supposed to be a prototype of that.”

“You mean a group of scientists got together and said ‘hey, let’s make a robot to be a human!  What can go wrong?’?” asked Ladybug, a most unamused expression on her face.

“Kind of,” said Chat, finally turning back towards his partner.  “It sounded like a good idea at the start.”

“Wait, _you_ —”

“Look, Charles wasn’t meant to be more than a series of different and collaborative softwares in a body meant to make decisions.  The main software itself runs the decision through a series of subprograms, each of which may come to a similar or different answer.  After all the sub processes run, another process is meant to make a consensus of the data, and a decision is reached when the data runs to the left or to the right.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“It wasn’t meant to be, but something started happening.  Soon we brought in more complex problems and the data started running in the middle and the robot couldn’t decide.  After so many tries, without being told to, Charles stopped making decisions one day.  It said that it wouldn’t make the choice.”

“There wasn’t anything in the programming?”

“Charles wouldn’t even let us check.  We tried to force him into a hibernation state so we could shut him down, but he wouldn’t let us get close enough to try.  And it got a bit weirder.  Given all of the questions we were asking, Charles started responding in a different way, showing a personality instead of making decisions based on objective information.  Apparently, he’s a picky eater.”

“Okay, so he’s a decision-making prototype that didn’t want to make decisions.  How does that lead to him—it—Charles being akumatized?  Akumatization preys on strong emotions, and Charles sounds like he was just getting the hang of it.”

“He was getting the hang of it…about three months ago.”

“Three months!?  How come no one heard—”

“Well, it’s sort of a top-secret project that we’re not supposed to tell anyone about.  But my civilian identity is under contract not to say anything, not Chat Noir, so I can tell you,” said Chat, a peek of his normal nonchalant attitude shining through.  Ladybug groaned, but motioned for him to continue.  He did.  “In any event, the team got split.  There are some who think Charles is just a series of defunct programs that we need to rewrite in order to get right the next time and then there are some who think that Charles is, on his own, breaking through into his own consciousness.  They think we should study him and try to find out some of life’s biggest questions.”

“Like what?”

“Like how do created beings interact with creators, where does free will come from, if a person were to really be born with a ‘clean slate’, what would happen, what’s a soul and can a computer have one.  Those kinds of things.”

“So are you a scientist or a psychologist?”

 “Neither, but that doesn’t matter.  What does matter is that Charles wasn’t unaware of the infighting.  Some people had no problem fighting in front of him because they didn’t think he was even alive.”

“Wow…that’s a bit cruel.”

“Yeah, but that’s what happened. Some people wanted to rewrite him, others wanted to study him.  Like a kid who doesn’t want to be stuck at their parents’ house, no one asked Charles what it wanted from all of this.  A lot of them don’t really care enough to ask.  They’re so excited about this thing that we’ve created that they never noticed its emotions growing stronger and stronger until it could make a choice like this.”

“Right, because Hawkmoth preys on emotions.  If Charles didn’t have any, this entire mess wouldn’t have happened.”

“That’s what I think, but for now, we have to treat Charles like any other victim, but slightly different.  I don’t think the akuma is anything _on_ Charles, I think the akuma _is_ Charles.  Or his body, at least.”

“What, so we break apart portions of Charles until the butterfly comes out?  It won’t hurt him?”

“One, Charles is a series of programs.  He technically doesn’t have a body, he’s just borrowing this one.  Two, Charles’s programs don’t have an input section for sensation, that’s too advanced for just a prototype, so he won’t feel any pain from this body in particular.  Three, you already fried Charles’s body to the moon and back and _now_ you’re worried about hurting him?”

“Chat,” said Ladybug, unimpressed with that last jab yet knowing it was a fair point.  He had tried to warn her to be cautious with him and had not listened, it might have seemed like too little too late.  With that depressing thought, she turned back towards the victim—Charles, as it was—she examined him closely.  Whether or not he could feel pain seemed irrelevant, she did not want to cause damage that wasn’t necessary.  Even if Chat _said_ he couldn’t feel it…  she may trust her partner, but she knew herself well enough to know it would hurt her to hurt something that seemed so full of life.

“Does anything look out of place to you?” asked Ladybug, turning back to her partner.

“The battle spikes?”

“Chat.”

“Sorry, My Lady.  Let me see…”

Chat joined her in front of the victim, his green eyes scanning the being before them.  He surveyed Charles for a moment before quirking his head, his ears twitching.  Without uttering a word, he reached forward and pulled something out from the side of Charles’s head.

“Is that the team?” asked Ladybug, peering over Chat’s shoulder.  In his hand was a small group of people, each different from the next.  Ladybug thought she recognized Max, but it had been a long time since she had seen him and it could have easily been anyone else.

**End of AmyNChan's work**


	2. CH 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another incomplete work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on an outline I've posted forever ago. I wanted to give a whack at it and I wanted to complete it, but I just couldn't get myself into the groove. My spurts were literally five words and I wasn't too happy with that, so here's the (short) blurb I did manage to do. X'D

_Dear Diary,_

_Oh la la, today was a close one!  Chat and I were down to our last seconds and I was almost one hundred percent sure that he would find out, but I guess good luck was on my side again.  I know he wants to know who I am, but it’s safer this way.  What if he knew and he was taken over by an akuma victim again?  What if he knew and he got really worried about me and called out my real name instead of Ladybug and Hawkmoth found out?  What if he knew and something changed somehow?  I wouldn’t want that, our partnership is just fine as it is!_

_A smart superhero uses her head, and mine is saying that this is the best idea.  I don’t have to like it all the time—I can’t deny there would be some perks that would come with knowing who Chat Noir was outside the mask—but it’s the best idea for now.  I’m just glad that Chat Noir seems to agree with me._

_Maman is calling for me, I have to go._

_-Marinette_

* * *

“Marinette,” called Sabine Cheng, a petite woman with short dark hair.  “Can you come down here please?”

“Coming, maman!”  Marinette Dupain-Cheng hurriedly shut up her diary and placed it within her personalized safe.  She flipped the lid closed, grabbed her nearby purse, and dashed down the stairs to heed her mother’s call.  “Did you need something?”

“Yes, dear,” said her mother.  “Your father and I are a little tight on help in the bakery, but we also have a delivery to make.  It’s not very far, so any one of us can make it, but I’ll need your help in the bakery if either your father or I have to make the run.”

“Of course, maman,” said Marinette.  “How big is the delivery?”

“It’s only one box, nothing too large.”

“And you said it wasn’t far?”

“No, it’s just past the school, dear.”

“Okay, I’ll make the delivery.  You and papa can man the shop.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” said Sabine as she pressed a kiss to her daughter’s cheek.  “The bag’s on the counter and the address is on the tag.  I need to run back and help your father before things get too hectic.”

“Don’t worry about it, maman,” returned Marinette as she followed her mother down to the shop.  “I’ll make the run, but I might end up going for a walk afterwards, so I’ll have my phone.”

“All right, thanks for letting me know.  I love you.”

“Love you too, maman.  Love you, papa!”

“Love you too, sweetheart!” said Tom Dupain from behind the counter, though his attention was shortly reclaimed by an elderly woman who was very insistent upon getting a dozen baguettes for some event or another.  “Yes, yes, madame.  Those will be ready in…”

Marinette closed the door behind her with the package securely in tow.  It was a small box and, true to her mother’s word, the delivery wasn’t too far away.

“Place du Châtelet, 75001 Paris, France,” mumbled Marinette as she read the address off the box.  “That seems familiar…”

“Maybe it’s Alya’s address?” asked a voice from within her bag.  Marinette turned to see a pair of rather large eyes looking at the box in her hand.  Marinette smiled.

“I don’t think so, Tikki,” replied the girl.  “No, it’s something else that I can’t quite…”

Movement flickered in the corner of her eye and Marinette turned her attention from the address in order to track it.  A black figure jumped over the rooftops and she was certain she had heard a whoop of joy while he made his run.

“Chat Noir?” questioned Marinette.  Without turning, she addressed her kwami.  “Why would he be out?”

“Maybe he’s patrolling?” tried Tikki.  “Or maybe he’s late for something.  You’ve used your powers to make it on time to events before.”

Marinette chuckled as she watched her partner practically fly.  “Yeah, but those were emergencies.  I hope he’s okay.”

“Do you want to transform and make sure?” asked Tikki.  Marinette thought on it for a moment, looking after her partner before shaking her head.

“No.  I trust him and if there was a problem, he’d have called me,” said Marinette resolutely.  “Besides, I still have to make this delivery for maman.”

Tikki said nothing, but Marinette could tell her kwami friend was pleased with her choice.  The girl hurried across the street and made extra sure that the package remained firm in her grasp. 

**End of AmyNChan's work**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who wanted to read said outline, it's here: http://amynchan.tumblr.com/post/147501840613/little-bit-of-a-sad-ideamore-but-when


	3. Gabriel and Nathalie idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a blurb using Gabirel and Nathalie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I write out conversations and that's the entire pivotal point of the fanfic. I had this conversation in my head and decided it suited the two of them in some way. XD I never actually got to working on the fic or circumstances surrounding it, though...

I told you to leave.  
I did leave.  
No you didn't.  
Sir, your exact words were to leave and to live my life as I see fit.

You didn't leave.  
I left the romantic aspect of our relationship behind.  
You're a fool.  
Only you would have the audacity to call me that, sir.

You should have gone further.  
It's no longer your place to tell me what I can or cannot do with my own life.  
I could fire you.  
You were never a man to back down on his word, Gabriel. Or Emillie's.  
That was years ago.  
And I'm following through with it. In the event that something should happen to either yourself or Emillie, I am to step in and assist the other with Adrien, then remove myself when the both of you are back to full parenting capacity.  
That's not typically how godmotherhood works.  
I wrote the agreement. The two of you signed. It's how it works in this family.

Gabriel. You have no control over my life or my choices anymore. You cannot force me away or push me out. You have tried before and you have failed. You told me to live life by my own rules and that is what I am doing. I have chosen to stay as your friend and your support. If you don't like it, then I suggest you attempt to completely cut me from your life once more, with feeling this time.

What if Emillie never comes back? How will you continue then?  
Then I suppose it is a small stroke of luck that Adrien does not completely loathe my presence, isn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't say who says what, but I think you guys can get it. *^_^*


	4. I had to give up today and it hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Nino, in which Nino is awesome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember this inspiration. I had been tutoring at my college and one student was so...I couldn't manage her. I couldn't get her on task, I couldn't help her, and all she wanted to do was insult me and my intelligence. The entire tutoring center told me to give up on this girl and allow her to go to someone who could actually help. I did, but it left me a crying mess and I had to seek comfort from one of my close friends in the school. Ngl, I wailed like a baby, got some hugs, and then sat down to write. But I got so caught up in getting Adrien to that point of telling Nino that I didn't know where to go. So I've left some friendship bubbles here for you to read. *^_^*

Some friendships were timeless.  Now, most people took that to mean that the friendship itself had started so long ago that time was no longer a verifiable factor in determining its worth.

Nino Lahiffe, however, knew that timeless friendships meant that it could be two seconds or two decades since meeting said friend, that relationship would _last_.  It was built on a mutual trust and reliability and accountability that made reading the other easier or at least more worth it.

So when his best friend came to school that day with the weight of the world on his shoulders and a smile on his face that seemed to fool everyone else, he knew that this was a job only for a timeless friendship.  Not an old friendship, as Chloe seemed more keen in adding to the weight he held than relieving it, and not a rapid infatuation, as Marinette seemed to be aware there was a problem yet unable to do anything to help due to her own hesitance.  No, sir.  This was a job for a timeless friendship.

Or, at least, that’s what Nino told himself as he invited Adrien to his place for lunch.

“Just a change of pace, man,” he had assured his friend.  “Mom’s making dchicha and I swear you’ll love it.”

“Cheka?” asked Adrien.  “You sure your mom won’t mind?”

“Nah, she’s cool with it,” grinned Nino.  “I texted her during class to see if you could come over.”

“Oh,” said Adrien, surprise coloring his features.  For a moment, his burden seemed relieved as well.  “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it, you’re gonna love it.”

The two boys walked at a languid pace towards Nino’s.  They chatted about the homework they had—or Adrien listened to Nino complain and laughed his assurance that physics wasn’t _that_ hard—and discussed the true science of music making—“I’m telling you, man,” Nino insisted.  “It’s a _process_ , an _art_!”. 

**End of AmyNChan's work**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dchicha/Cheka thing was to help with pronunciation, but also show that its an actual thing. I looked it up online. It looked yummy and made me feel better. X'D Maybe that's why I couldn't finish this...


	5. Marichat friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> look at le title for the characters. X'D Oh, and a dash of Tom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this one to be just friendship. I wanted a playful dynamic wherein they wouldn't fall in love (at least, not right away), and I wanted the two of them to discover hidden deeds of the other. Like Marinette finds out Chat's pretty quickly, but I also wanted Chat to see some cool things Marinette could do. I just wanted them to be friends and figuring the other out for fun. Also, I did kinda adore the idea of them pretending to be siblings for a while. X'D (but I've since read a fic that has Adrien and Chloe display a freaking awesome sibling dynamic and all I gotta say is that is FABULOUS)

**Chapter 1**

The Parisian air blew softly against her skin, bringing a certain sense of relief after a long day’s work.  Marinette sighed as she continued her stroll, carrying with her only one or two bags filled with fabrics and a few magazines.

“It’s a good thing your parents let you finish your shift early to get your supplies,” said Tikki, her ever faithful kwami companion, from her pouch.  “They’re so understanding.”

“I’m very lucky,” agreed Marinette.  “Mama and papa didn’t want me out after dark, so they let me go early so I could get my shopping done tonight instead of tomorrow.”

“It’s like they know you’ll probably stay up all night working on your design instead of sleeping, huh?” teased Tikki.  Marinette laughed.

“Probably.  They are my parents, after all,” said Marinette.  She glanced up and down the street before hurrying across.  “I wonder what mama’s going to make for dinner.  I hope it’s the dish we had a few weeks ago.”

She had expected a reply from Tikki.  She had expected to continue walking unhindered.

No one told that to the mugger.

“Hey!” cried Marinette when her wrist was grabbed and she was yanked, off-balance and quite by surprise, into the mouth of a nearby alleyway.  Her bags of fabric spilled onto the ground in a heap, magazines skittering across the pavement.

“Purse,” said a scratchy voice.  The girl looked at her attacker.  He had a bandana to cover half his face and a beanie to cover the top of his head.  A knife glinted in the fading sunlight as he hissed, “Now!”

Marinette would have normally given him what he wanted, transformed, and then come back for it all under the vengeance of Ladybug, half of Paris’ famous superhero team, later during patrol.  However, if she handed her purse over, she would also have to hand over Tikki, which was not going to happen.  Ever.

She grabbed her purse and thought.  How to get out of this, how to get out of this, how to get—

“You know, the only one allowed to hiss around here is me.”

She would have turned to look at him, but the mugger had already done that.  Instead of turning to the newcomer, Marinette focused on the knife in her attacker’s hand.  The surprising superhero entrance had shocked the man, causing his grip to slacken on the weapon, yet tighten on her.

The first of these was really all Marinette needed.

Marinette rose her foot as quickly as she could and stomped heavily on the man’s foot.  The would-be mugger had not been expecting this sudden attack from his hostage and reacted instantly to the pain, moving just enough to allow Marinette to shove past him.  On her way out, she took care to ram the hand with the weapon, causing it to clatter uselessly to the ground.  The mugger instantly grabbed her wrist again, attempting to pull her closer to him and give him back his ‘hostage advantage’.  While he tried to secure his fleeting grip, Marinette decided she had quite enough.

The lycree student brought that free hand up towards her attacker’s face in a punch and hoped for the best.  Her fist made contact with the assailant’s eye and the brow bone actually hurt her fist.

But her little plan worked.

She had punched him straight in the eye.

The few inches of distance the action put between them was enough for a silver baton to appear between them, forcing the man to finally release her and giving Marinette the opportunity to run.

The girl wasted no time in putting distance between herself and the scene of the crime, adrenaline pushing her further away.  Her feet slapped the pavement as she bolted, fully aware that Marinette would not be as helpful in this confrontation as Ladybug could be.  Ladybug had Marinette’s already impressive strength several times over, as well as a magical yoyo that could inflict more damage than anything Marinette had on her person.  As an added bonus, Ladybug’s reputation preceded her.  No petty criminal would even think about trying to mug Ladybug like some common Parisian girl.

But she needed to find a spot to transform if she wanted to help her partner out with this one and get her fabrics back.

Marinette checked the mouth of the next alleyway and, finding it empty, hurried inside.  She opened her purse.

“You ready to transform, Tikki?” asked Marinette.

“Are you sure you should go?” asked the kwami.  “Chat can handle this one on his own, and besides, you should probably take care of your ankle before it becomes infected.”

“My ankle?”  Marinette looked in confusion towards her feet.  Oh.  Okay.  The adrenaline must have kept her from feeling the rather large cut on her foot before.  Well, she felt it throbbing now.  And she must have bled a happy little trail right to her hiding spot.  She couldn’t leave with no trace.  That would be all too suspicious.

“Great,” groaned the girl.  “Just great.  How did that even happen?  It’s not like I kicked him…”

“It probably happened when the knife fell or when you were running away.  But I’m sorry, Marinette,” said Tikki.  “Transforming won’t heal your cut, the suit only works to keep new injuries from forming.”

“It’s okay,” said Marinette.  She reached to her side and grabbed the disinfectant that Tikki had brought to the top of her purse with a smile.  Her small friend returned the gesture from the inside of her purse.  “Thanks.”

Marinette hissed as she began to rub the disinfectant onto her ankle, a frown forming on her face.  “I just really wanted to get that dress done.  Mama and papa might not even let me go shopping in the evening anymore after they hear about this.”

“I can see how that might be a purr-oblem,” said a voice from around the corner.  Marinette glanced upwards to find him standing at the mouth of the alley.

He was only a little taller than her when standing, with excessively messy blond hair and bright green eyes.  His suit was some sort of material that she never quite worked out and entirely black in color.  Unlike her simplistic supersuit of red with black spots, his outfit was adorned with a few fun extras such as a couple pockets and a golden bell at his throat.  The ears atop his head, the tail which moved, and the alteration of his eyes to create green sclera and slated pupils only completed his feline themed look.  While the appearance of a cat-themed superhero would send many tourists into a slight panic, the sight was so commonplace to her that what caught her attention was what he held aloft in his hand.

“Chat Noir,” gasped she.  “You grabbed my shopping bags?”

“I couldn’t just leave them sitting there, could I?” laughed the cat themed superhero.  “It would have been paw-fully rude of me.”

“Yeah, but don’t you have patrol or something with Ladybug?  That’s why you’re out, right?” asked Marinette.  Internally, she ran a mental check on the time.  She and Chat were supposed to patrol together, but not for another few hours.  What was he doing out already?

“Don’t worry about it, Princess,” said Chat.  He walked forward and placed the bag gingerly beside her, but she watched his eyes.  He had caught sight of her injured foot.  “That was purr-etty risky, what you pulled back there.”

_Like you’re one to talk.  You do risky things all the time!_

Instead of blurting out her thoughts, Marinette chose to go with her tactful fangirl approach.  “Well, I had the great Chat Noir watching my back.  I knew I would be okay.”

“But you’re bleeding.  May I?” asked Chat.  He held a hand out and it took Marinette a moment to figure out what he was asking for.  She glanced at the disinfectant in her hands.

“What, this?  No, I’ve got it, you shouldn’t worry.  Besides, you wouldn’t want to keep Ladybug waiting, right?”

“I don’t doubt your skills, Princess,” laughed Chat.  “But it would make me feel better since I wasn’t able to keep you 100% safe.  Besides, my Lady won’t be out for another few hours yet.  So is it okay if I lend you a paw?”

Marinette hesitated for a moment before handing the disinfectant over to Chat.  Although he was unaware of it, she knew his personality well enough to know he wouldn’t leave her side until he felt she was properly taken care of.  She had witnessed him conversing with akuma victims in the aftermath of an attack, reassuring civilians during battle, even throwing his baton away to save a civilian in the middle of his first fight.  If there was anyone who cared about human life and the quality thereof, it was her partner.

This was why she knew it was better to just let him help her out with her injury.  Not because she needed the help or even that he thought she needed it, but because she knew he cared about her as a human being and was trying to be helpful.  And really, who could turn down respect like that and still feel like a decent human being?  Certainly not her.

“So… do you always help victims out like this after breaking up a street crime?” she asked, if only to have some sort of conversation and maybe pretend she didn’t know him as well as she did.

“I try to,” said Chat as he applied the disinfectant.  It stung, yeah, but the pain wasn’t near as bad as normal.  Maybe because he was treating her injury like a newborn rather than something that needed all the attention and force one could give it at once.

So that’s how she bandaged herself up.  Fight her.

“Sometimes the criminals get a bit crazy and think they can take me or LB on, and that gives the victim more time to get away.  That’s great for them, but I always feel a bit bad when I can’t check up on them and make sure they’re okay.  Do you have any bandages?”

Marinette nodded and pulled a small roll of gauze out of her purse.  It was a tiny little roll, only meant for small day-to-day injuries while still leaving plenty of room for Tikki to remain comfortable.  “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” said Chat.  “How about you?  This is the third time I’ve had to rescue you from some ne’er-do-well.”

A snort escaped her before she could hold it back.  “Rescued” didn’t really apply to the first time with the Evillustrator.  The time with the Gamer she could count because she had been in a real jam and she knew she could count the mugging from a few moments ago because she wouldn’t have been able to escape as a civilian without his timely arrival.  Two very distinct rescues, not three.

However, Chat’s gaze snapped up to her face and she could tell he’d been surprised by her response.  She scrambled for a reason as to why she, a ‘dedicated fan’, would laugh at having had to be saved by Chat, not once, not twice, but a supposed three times.

She had it.

“Sorry, I just didn’t think anyone used that word anymore.”

It was technically true.

“Ne’er-do-well?” asked Chat, a smirk on his face.  “Well, it’s ne’er-too-late to use an old word.”

_Oh my gosh.  That was so bad._

It was a bad play on words.  Terrible.  Atrocious.  She never thought he would go for something that so obviously screamed ‘I’m trying too hard’.

So she laughed.

It was such a stupid little thing, but that ridiculous play on words made her laugh harder than she had in ages.  It didn’t quite make her sides hurt, but nor did she try to suppress her laughter.

Chat’s rolling laughter soon joined in with hers and it somehow made the moment all the funnier.  After the adrenaline of such a narrow miss, being saved by her partner, and then just him being him and looking after a civilian who happened to be his partner (not that he knew that).  It was completely ridiculous that this would be her life on both sides of the mask.

But she really didn’t mind.

“Okay, Chat Noir,” she chuckled in defeat as soon as she could catch her breath.  “That was really bad.”

“But you laughed, so it did the job,” said Chat.  He quickly finished wrapping her ankle and returned her gauze.  By the time Marinette had put it away without jostling Tikki too much, he was extending a hand with that playful grin of his.  “Would the Princess allow me to walk her home?”

She weighed her options.  On the one hand, she really ought to keep her superhero and civilian lives separate.  Allowing Chat to walk her home might get in the way of that mentality.

On the other hand, it wasn’t like Chat had never been to the bakery before.  He’d ended up there during Animan, Puppeteer, and the Evillustrator.  Not taking him up on his offer might be more suspicious than just taking it at that point.  And what she wanted to do was avoid suspicion from her partner, not encourage it.  He was, after all, more intelligent than people gave him credit for and she didn’t want to risk it.

“Sure,” she said as she reached for his hand.  He helped her up and she stubbornly held to her supplies as she led the way.

A few minutes into the walk, she realized that a normal fan might be asking him a lot of questions right about then.  Ladybug and Chat Noir had this level of comfortable silence, but a random civilian would probably have a thing or two to say.

“So…  how did you know I was in trouble?” she ended up asking.  It was a safe question and one she genuinely wanted an answer to.  “Kind of silly of me, but I didn’t scream.”

“I was in the neighborhood when I saw a damsel in distress,” said Chat.  He flashed the girl a grin and she waited until he turned forward to roll her eyes.  This boy was really too much sometimes, but she wouldn’t change him.

“Well, thanks.  I’m glad you came along when you did,” she said.

“Just a hero’s job, Princess!”

She could hear the faint sense of pride in his words and smiled, knowing she would also feel happy to save a civilian.  But still, Chat was really too much sometimes.

“So, are you working on a project?” asked Chat.  “That’s a lot of fabric.”

“This?” Marinette asked, looking down at her bag.  The fabrics were a little dirty now from having been on the ground, but it was nothing a little washing couldn’t fix.  “Just a side project I thought of a while back.  It shouldn’t take too long to make.”

“What kind of project?  I hear you’re pretty _tail_ ented,” said Chat.

“And you’re pretty curious,” quipped Marinette.  She side eyed her unknowing partner with a wry smile.  “You know what they say about curiosity and cats, and I wouldn’t want to be the one who did that to one of Paris’s beloved superheroes.”

It took all of three seconds for her to realize what she had said.  Was she crazy?  What kind of fan made a joke about the nine lives thing?  She knew she could do it because she was Ladybug and she wouldn’t let him get hurt, but any normal civilian who didn’t have any sway over if he got hurt or not?  Random outbursts like that were going to make her look suspicious!

“That’s a good one!”

Or make him laugh, apparently?

Marinette turned to see her partner laughing with almost a tear in his eye.  Somehow, she thought that maybe he shouldn’t have found it as funny as he apparently had, but she wouldn’t mention it.  No reason to make him suspicious after such a close call.

“True that, Princess,” said Chat as he wiped his eye.  “I’d tell you the second half of that saying, but it appears as though the royalty has returned to her tower.”

Marinette blinked and turned.  Sure enough, they were on the corner of Gotlib street, right in front of her bakery.  She could see her papa making his way to the door and assumed he was getting ready to close up shop.  She turned back to Chat.

“That she has,” agreed Marinette, shifting her shopping bag off to the side.  “Thanks again for getting me out of that, I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem, Princess,” said Chat as he took a bow.  “The streets are always protected by Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

His theatrics got a giggle from her and one open eye roll.  By the time she realized what she was doing, she turned to the boy in front of her with an almost guilty look, only to find that he had a smirk on his face.

“Gotcha,” said Chat.  “That’s the second time you’ve done that, you know.”

“I-is it?” asked Marinette.  Crap, crap, crap.  “I don’t remember…”

The door opened.  Marinette breathed.  _Saved by Papa…_

“What’s this, ma petit?  Going on a date without letting your mama and I meet him first?”

_I spoke too soon!_

Red flushed through Marinette’s face.  Indignation and embarrassment caused her to hide behind her hand, not willing to look Chat in the eye after that.

He may not know he had just been accused of being on a date with Ladybug, but she knew it and that was embarrassing enough.  If he ever knew…

“Papa, no,” groaned Marinette as she turned to the bear of a man she called her father.  He could be likened to a rather large teddy bear than anything else.  His green eyes twinkled in mischief and his brown mustache twitched in a smile.  His blue shirt had a few flecks of flour on it, though it looked as though his white apron had taken most of the damage throughout the day.  “Chat found me and walked me home.  Besides, you know—”

“I know, ma petit,” laughed her father.  “I was just giving you two a hard time.  It’s very rare that I get a chance to kid around with one of Paris’ superheroes.”

Marinette turned to apologize for her father’s innocent teasing, only to find her partner wearing the most bewildered expression she had ever seen in her life.  And she had seen many bewildered expressions throughout her short superheroing career.  Apologetics died in her head and concern took its place.  “You okay, Chat?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine, Princess,” said Chat.  Though Marinette knew better.  His tail was beginning to twitch the slightest degree and he had taken a step back, if only a minute one.

_He’s trying to make an escape_ … Marinette quickly realized.  _But…why?_

“It was a pleasure to see you again Marinette, Monsieur Dupain,” rambled Chat.  “Paw-trol should be starting soon, so I’d better—”

“Wait, son,” said her father.  Marinette turned to see her father hurry back into the shop.  She groaned.  She knew what was coming.  She turned to see her partner, half expecting him to have left already.  To her surprise, he stood right where he was, waiting for her father’s return.

“Is he…always like that?  With everybody?” whispered Chat as soon as the door closed.

“Like what?” asked Marinette.  “The teasing?  Yeah, mostly.  He doesn’t mean any harm by it, though.  I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

“No, no, no, it’s fine,” said Chat, waving his hands in front of him.  “But I meant the feeling that if I turn my back, he might try to adopt me.”

Marinette stopped and thought about that.  Her parents were pretty much the parents of everyone at school who knew her and, by extension, them.  Papa would spoil her friends with goodies and she knew that Alix and Mylene had both come over more than once for advice from Mama.

“Well, they might,” mused Marinette aloud.  “But then I’d have you as a little brother and I’m not sure how well that would go over with Ladybug.”

“Little brother?” asked Chat, his voice a little strangled.  Marinette grinned.

“Yup, because I’m obviously the older one,” announced the girl.  She would have waited for Chat’s answer, probably a protest on how he would probably be the older one, but her papa came out yet again.  This time, he came brandishing the bag she knew was coming.

“Here you go, son,” said papa.  “That’s for you and Ladybug, as a thank you for everything you do for us.”

Marinette honestly wasn’t very surprised by her papa’s declaration.  He was unfailingly kind and fair, doling out what he decided was just.  She had seen her papa assist the homeless by giving them food and pointing them in the direction of a job opportunity, and then following up with them.  She had watched as he kept the shop peaceful when customers got frustrated with each other and even with himself.  She had been on the receiving end of her father’s patience more than once, as well as his teasing.

Chat, however…

“Monsieur, we couldn’t,” Chat announced, eyes wide.  “We protect Paris because someone has to and we love doing it, not for free food.”

Chat looked like he had never had any experience with someone like her father, ever.

“And that’s exactly why you’re getting it,” said her papa as he put the bag into the shocked hero’s hands.  “The entirety of Paris is in your debt, and you work too hard not to get a reward for it every once in a while.  Besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of your not-so-public exploits.”

“Huh?”

Marinette blinked owlishly at her papa.  What exploits?

“I’m…uh, not so sure what you mean, monsieur,” said Chat.  She turned to see he was fidgeting.  What on earth was Chat doing while Ladybug was away?  And how had her papa heard about it before she had?

“Street muggings stopped before they could happen, lost children returned to their mothers, and more than one of Marinette’s classmates saved on a perfectly normal night from trouble,” said Tom knowingly.  “Ivan, Mylene, Alix, and Nathanael all say thank you, by the way.”

“What?” asked Marinette.  It was the first she had heard of this.  She turned to Chat, who had a bashful look on his face.

“Ah,” he said.  “Um, they’re welcome?  Just the job of a superhero.”

The way he said it now was so different from a few moments ago.  Earlier it was almost a placation in reaction to something so normal and routine.  Now…  Now her father had specifically waited for a moment to communicate his genuine thanks on behalf of himself, his city, and his friends with nothing to set it off.

Poor Chat looked like he just didn’t know how to respond.

“Papa, Chat has patrol with Ladybug tonight,” said Marinette.  She turned to him.  “Do you have to leave?”

She watched as Chat contemplated his options.  She knew that Ladybug wouldn’t be out for a while yet (though she was currently debating on that one if Chat was already out), but she wanted to make sure he had a chance to get out of the situation if he wanted to.  The poor cat just looked so frazzled.

“Um, you’re right, Princess,” said Chat.  “Patrol, Ladybug, gotta do that, yup yup.  Um, thank you for the treats, Monsieur Dupain.  Ladybug, she’ll know who they’re from.  And, uh, we’re gonna love them!”

“Glad to hear it, son,” said papa as he planted a hand on Marinette’s shoulder.  He held his other hand out to the young hero.  When Chat reached forward and held the man’s hand tentatively, her papa only pulled him into a side armed hug.  He probably only got away with it because Chat had been caught off-guard, but she wouldn’t tell her papa that.  That cat was probably ten times her father in strength.

Marinette had seen the affectionate display coming from a mile away.  Poor Chat looked even more bewildered than ever.  His cat eyes pleaded with her for…something.  Not quite help, but…  She really didn’t know.

“You two are welcome around the bakery anytime,” said her papa.  “Do you understand?”

“Y—yes, monsieur.”

Oh great.  Her father broke Chat Noir.  Her poor partner looked so out of his depth that she thought her father must have finally sensed the boy’s discomfort and pulled away.  With a grin, he clapped the young man on the back.  Marinette put a hand over her face.  Never did she think her father was capable of embarrassing her in front of anybody except for Adrien Agreste.

He had certainly disproved her tonight.

“Well, we shouldn’t keep you away from Ladybug for too much longer,” said her papa.  Chat could only nod.

Marinette wondered how this was even her life.

* * *

_How is this even my life?_

Ladybug, heroine of Paris and quite literal embodiment of good luck, had hoped for a quiet night.  The attempted mugging, close call on her secret identity, and subsequent embarrassment of her partner meeting her father had tired her out and she had hoped for a quiet patrol with maybe a few treats she knew came from her parents’ bakery.

(Okay, so maybe she had hoped to scope out what Chat had thought about her dad so she could figure out if the entire thing had really made him uncomfortable.  He was her friend, after all, and it wasn’t her intention to deliberately make him feel awkward.)

“YOU ARE SO BUSTED!”

No one told that to the akuma of the evening.  Chat hadn’t even opened the bag before they’d heard screams

“Have a plan yet, bugaboo?” asked Chat as he dodged the attack.  He had a grin on his face as if he hadn’t been fidgeting in his place two hours ago.  Her eyebrow quirked.

“Don’t call me bugaboo,” said she as she looked the akuma over.  To be perfectly honest, the color scheme reminded her of a candy cane.  A poofed out Victorian dress with red and white stripes, a scepter, and a golden crown upon her head.  The only thing out of place was a purse slung over her shoulder and around her waist in the shape of a duck.  “She’s shooting those beams from her scepter.  We need to take it out!”

Ladybug narrowly avoided a beam.  Thank you, good luck!

“Good eye, My Lady,” replied Chat.  “Any eye-dea how?”

That pun was worse than the one he told earlier, but they had a job to do!  Ladybug ignored her partner’s terrible word play and focused on looking for a plan to put the akuma out of commission.

“BUSTED!” cried the akuma as she turned her scepter towards Ladybug.  She dodged off to the side just in time to evade the beam.  That was too close.  She couldn’t sit around and strategize any more.  She needed something to tip the odds in their favor…

“Lucky charm!” called Ladybug, flinging her yoyo in the air.  What landed in her hand was…  “A cork?”

“How’s that going to help put a stopper to this akuma?” questioned Chat.  “Need a minute?”

Ladybug, knowing he would buy time for her anyways, began her search.  A few moments of hurried glances and working gears in her mind gave rise to an idea she knew would be foolproof.

“Chat, lure her this way!” commanded the superheroine.  Her partner sent her a wink and salute before he mouthed off to the akuma, effectively distracting her and becoming her number one target.  Ladybug listened to the roars of anger as she ran towards the rest of her plan.  An old fashioned soda bottle—she would not question it’s placement, simply grateful that it was there—filled with orange soda and a missing lid was the first item on her list.  She hurriedly stopped it up and began to run.  The next thing she did was pull her yoyo out and cast it across the entrance of the park.

The trap was set.

“Chat, duck!” called Ladybug as she aimed.  Her partner faithfully dropped to the ground, giving her a clear shot with the bottle.  As soon as Chat was clear, the pressure popped the cork forward and sprayed the akuma with the soda.

“I can’t see!” shrieked the villain.

“Chat!” called Ladybug, but she need not have bothered.  Her partner was already on it.

“Cataclysm!” he called out as he reached for the scepter.  One touch reduced the weapon to ashes, momentarily unbalancing the villain of the evening.  Ladybug took this as her cue and reached out on instinct.

The bag slipped off the blinded girl’s shoulder easily and Ladybug tore it in two.  From its depths, a black butterfly attempted to flutter away.  The superheroine acted quickly.

“No more evildoing for you, little akuma,” declared Ladybug.  “I’m freeing you from evil!”

The yoyo swept over the dark butterfly, capturing it effortlessly.  When it was back in her hands, Ladybug opened the yoyo to reveal that the dark matter that had once infected the butterfly had been completely erased, leaving a creature of pure white to flutter free.  Satisfied, she murmured a farewell to the petite papillion.  Next, she searched for the small red and black cork.

“Looking for this, My Lady?” asked Chat.  The cork lay in his hands and Ladybug smiled.  He just had to have the cool night vision.

“Showoff,” she chided playfully before tossing the cork high into the air.  “Miraculous Ladybug!”

Her cure worked throughout the city, and the quiet park suddenly erupted with life.  Children appeared in a rambunctious fervor.  Many of them had their parents by their side who quickly quelled the noise, but one or two children that had appeared alone simply ran off to play on the equipment.

“Where did they all come from?” asked Ladybug as the sudden crowd began to filter away from the scene.

“Maybe they got hit before we got here?” returned Chat.  “I’ve seen a lot of families come to the park before they go to dinner, so maybe that’s when this got started?”

“Sounds reasonable.”  Ladybug watched for a moment as the last of the children regrouped with their families and began to make their way home after the attack.  It was, after all, getting late on a school night.  Ladybug scanned the crowd for a moment before she found the person she was looking for.  She could sense rather than hear Chat follow her lead.

“What just happened?” questioned the teenager with red hair as the duo approached.  “Where—oh no!”

“What’s wrong?” asked Ladybug.  The teenager turned toward them and the superheroine could see the panic in her eyes.

“Oh, Ladybug!  He made me so mad, I left the room for a second to clear my head, but now I don’t know where I am and I don’t know where _he_ is and it’s so late already!  I need to find him, can you help?”

“Who did you lose?”

The teen turned to Chat.  “My little brother.  I didn’t mean to get so mad, I left for just a second!   I need to find him and make sure he’s oka— _Tracy!_ ”

Ladybug turned to see a young boy perk up at hearing his name.  He sat on the merry-go-round with another child, who was promptly ushered away by what Ladybug assumed to be their parent.  The child—Tracy—hurried off the merry-go-round and walked calmly towards his clearly worried sister.

Ladybug watched as the flustered older sister ran to her brother.  While there was a bit of scolding involved, the superheroine knew they couldn’t stick around.  Her earrings were already warning her to scoot along.  She turned to her partner with her fist in the air and a smile on her face.  Chat Noir matched her.

“Pound it!”

* * *

Marinette arrived to school the next morning mentally kicking herself.  The akuma battle had left her unable to ask Chat as Ladybug about anything she had heard.  And it was something she was actually very curious about.

“Hey, girl!  You’re early!”

Marinette turned to face Alya Cesaire, who was currently appraising her with some sort of self-satisfied smirk.  Marinette could only grin sheepishly at her best friend.

“Yeah, I am,” admitted she.  “Papa woke me up this morning.”

“Really?  Is it your mom’s birthday or something?”

“No, that’s in August.”

“Oh, well, whatever the reason, you gotta tell me how he does it.  I swear, whenever I come over, I can’t get you out of bed in the morning unless I talk about mPH—”

“Alya!” hissed Marinette as she pressed her hand against her best friend’s lips. “You _promised_!”

Alya removed Marinette’s hand from her face, revealing a smirk reserved only for best friends.  “I did no such thing, but for your delicious croissants, I’ll keep my silence.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Cesaire.”  Marinette grinned as she clasped onto Alya’s hand in a firm shake.  Only a moment passed before the two dissolved into giggles.  If Marinette took every ‘deal’ to heart, she would owe her friend well over ten thousand croissants by now.

“Hey, girls!” greeted a new voice.  Marinette turned to welcome him as Alya had already raised her hand in greeting.

“Hey, Nino,” replied the two with mild waves.  Marinette glanced around curiously.  “Is…um…”

“Nope.  Won’t be here for another few minutes,” said Nino, already guessing the blond boy on her mind.  Marinette flushed at being found out so easily and her friends shared a light hearted laugh at her expense.

“Don’t worry, Marinette,” assured Alya.  “He’ll be here soon and then you can stutter his socks off!”

“Alya!” groaned Marinette, hiding her face.  Nino attempted to clear up his chuckling as a response.

“Seriously, ‘Nette, he’s just another dude,” said the boy.  “Talk to him about video games or something.  He really liked playing Mecha Strike with you.”

“Really?” Marinette could feel herself die and go to heaven.   In her joy, she did not notice Alya elbowing Nino, a conspiratorial smirk on her face.  “Oh, that’s the best ever!  I wonder if he’d want to do that again, or maybe he was saying it to be nice?  But he didn’t tell me, he told Nino, and Nino’s his best friend…”

  **End of AmyNChan's work**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I lied, I also wanted Tom to be there, because Tom's awesome. XD
> 
> What Marinette was going to do was check in on all the aforementioned students, most likely Ivan (because that boy needs more love in this fandom), and learn more about what Chat did. He saved Ivan and Mylene from a mugging and Nathanael almost got carted off. Because I think that if Chat/Adrien sees _any_ of his classmates in trouble, he's going to help them no matter what.


	6. Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More love square shenanigans. XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the outline format, in which I get an idea and hurriedly jot it down so I can expand it later. Well, later never came, no matter how hard I tried to get the words to just _go_. So now they're going to you. X'D

Marinette is confused on whether or not she likes Adrien or Chat Noir, so she decides to make a list of qualities on each.  Stuff she likes, stuff she dislikes, etc.  She’s doing this because Tikki wants her to be honest with herself and knows that if Adrien were not around, she’d give Chat Noir a chance.

So she has a list for both boys.  Adrien’s flows, kind of stunted, but the good things she really admires about him and the ideas she’s made about him (which turn out that some of them are accurate and some of them [she will scratch out later] are not).  It’s harder for her to think about things she doesn’t like about him (other than Chloe, but that’s a symptom of his kindness, which she deeply respects him for).

With Chat, the annoying traits come first, but they slowly bleed into good traits.  She lists out everything she knows, the good, the bad, and the unspeakably awkward.  She lists out the things about him that surprise her constantly and the things about him that really aren’t all that surprising.

By the time she’s done with both lists, they’re roughly equal and she literally still can’t decide.  She groans and rests her head on the table, frustrated.

# MEANWHILE

Chat Noir is out and about, having the time of his life.  He somehow makes it to Marinette’s bakery and—having somehow become friends with the girl this side of the mask (enough to warrant surprise visits if the window is open)—he pops in.  He’s surprised to find her slumped over her desk and is about to rouse her when he notices the papers.

His heart drops.

She’s going to crack his secret identity.

Scared, he turns tail and makes his way back out into the night, trying to figure out what to do.  He trusts Marinette, absolutely, but to burden her with that information…  that would be horrible.  He’s tempted to let her know, to tell her somehow that it’s him.  She’s halfway solved it, after all.  Maybe if she earned it…?

No, no.  He shouldn’t let her find out without a fight, at least.  There has to be something he can do.

He calls Ladybug.

# MEANWHILE AGAIN

Marinette didn’t notice Chat coming into the room or his leaving again.  Her head is still muddled.  Adrien or Chat?  Chat or Adrien?  She’s liked Adrien for so long, but Chat has become such a huge part of her life.  Adrien or Chat?

Tikki, who had gone to sleep ages ago, startles awake.  She immediately rushes over to Marinette, telling her that Chat is calling for Ladybug. Curious and concerned—he calls on LB in an akuma emergency and usually pays a visit to Marinette if he wants to goof off—she immediately transforms and leaves her room, answering the call promptly.

Chat tells her he’s on the other side of town and that he needs to talk to her about something important.  He’d rather do it face-to-face and part of her wonders if he’s going to try to seriously confess.  She really cannot handle that right now!

Still, he convinces her to go, so she goes.  She’s, of course, skittish and wary when Chat starts to talk.  When he hints that the conversation is about Marinette, she’s terrified.  He’s cracked her secret identity!

But then, why would he call her all the way out here?  Wouldn’t he just come into the window like he always has?

Something’s wrong.  And it’s something he needs Ladybug for.

  **End of AmyNChan's work**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... it would have been cool, but it just never happened. XD


	7. Nice Guys Finish Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was a whooole idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my mother is a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and one thing she is notoriously good at is shoving anything in my face that she thinks I'll get a kick out of, even if I haven't seen it in my entire life. X'D But there was a poem that caught my eye once while she did this, and it was called The Gentlemen. (Edit: It's called "Hush". X'D)
> 
> "Can't even shout, can't even cry  
> The Gentlemen are coming by  
> Looking in windows, knocking on doors  
> They need to take seven and they might take yours  
> Can't call to mom, can't say a word  
> You're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard"
> 
> So the idea was to take the notion of 'Gentlemen' and turn it into a horror akuma. Something scary even though at first it seems really sweet. Then I realized that was the 'nice guy' thing and eventually couldn't deal. X'D Additionally, there was a crossroads that I had a hard time dealing with.
> 
> So here ya go!

**Prologue**

The building cast its shadow in the late afternoon, masking two teenagers from view.  They stood a good meter apart with tension palpable in the air.

“I would never hurt you,” said the boy, his voice cracking.  “We could go on dates, I’d hold the door for you, keep you dry in the middle of the rain, I’d never disrespect you.  Please… just…  please give me a chance.  You won’t regret it!”

“Francis…  I can’t.  You’re a nice guy and one of my best friends, but you know why I can’t.  Don’t do this to yourself.”

“Please!”

“No.  I’m sorry that this hurts you, but no.”

“Jackie!”

But he was too late.  She had already turned her back and was running away.  He watched her go, his heart in tatters.  He knew she would reject him, he had always known that.  But his heart…  his foolish, foolish heart had dared to hope.  Had dared to let him dream…

Tears fell from his eyes as anguish rolled over him like a tidal wave.  He had been rejected.  Why?  Why wouldn’t she love him?  He had been nothing but kind, chivalrous, generous, caring.  She had been an angel from above in a time when he had needed one most.  He loved her dearly, why couldn’t she love him in return?  He’d been nothing but a gentleman.

And his heart was now in pieces before him because of it.

Alone behind the building of his high school, Francis cried.  He cried for his lost love and for all the happiness that could have been.  He cried for lost dreams and lost potential, and he did so with nothing to comfort him except the shadow of their school and a single, solitary, purple butterfly.

 

* * *

* * *

 

**Chapter 1**

 

Sunlight streamed into a nearby bakery, where the after-school crowd was finally dying down.  Students chattered amongst themselves as they bundled up to brave the cold, taking with them their recently purchased goodies.  A few of the students stopped to wave at the helpful collegé student with dark pigtails behind the counter before making their way outside.  The young blue eyed girl simply waved back with a smile.

“Wow, Marinette, that was really hectic,” sounded off a small voice as soon as the customers had left.  The student, Marinette Dupain-Cheng by name, turned to see a small red head peeking out of her bag with large blue eyes.  “How often does that happen?”

“Whenever it gets really cold outside, I guess,” said Marinette.  She smiled at the now closed entrance which kept the heat inside and the cold out.  “People are always naturally drawn to warmth, so it makes sense they’d come to a bakery with warm pastries and fresh bread, doesn’t it?”

“That makes sense,” chirped the small creature.  “I’d much rather be out of the cold if I can help it.”

“That wouldn’t be because you’re the ladybug kwami, would it?” teased Marinette.  Her small friend looked ready to reply, but the sound of the door behind them opening broke the mood.  “Tikki, hide.”

The small creature zipped inside Marinette’s purse and the clasp closed just in time to see a short woman with a blue bob and warm smile come out from the back.  Her silver eyes were both kind and apologetic.

“Thank you for helping me for a minute, Marinette,” said Sabine Cheng.  She gently took Marinette’s place behind the counter and the girl sidestepped to let her.  “Uncle Cheng says hello, by the way.”

“No problem, _maman_ , I know you don’t get to talk to Uncle Cheng all that often,” said Marinette.  “Do you think _papa_ will be finished with those deliveries soon?”

The woman hummed as she checked the clock.  “He left about an hour ago, so he shouldn’t be much longer.”

“That’s good,” replied Marinette as she slid out completely from behind the countertop.  “It’s gaming night and I can’t wait to see what new combos he’s learned!  He hasn’t told me a thing about them!”

Her mother’s response was to laugh at her daughter’s faux misgivings.  “You two are so competitive with one another.”

Marinette shot her mother a grin before sneaking a look at the counter top.  She briefly wondered if her maman would let her take one of the pastries from the shop as a snack as the bell from above the door chimed.

“Welcome to—Tom?”

Upon hearing her mother’s questioning tone, the girl turned to the entrance.

“Papa?  I didn’t know you owned a tux…” mused Marinette.  For there, standing in the doorway, stood her father.  He was dressed to the nines with freshly pressed pants and shoes that had quite the shine on them.  Marinette glanced towards her mother.  “Did you two have a special date planned tonight?  Papa and I can do gaming night some other time…”

“If we did, it’s news to me,” her mother returned.  While still obviously confused, her mother did seem pleased with the surprise.  She walked out from behind the counter.  “You should have told us if you wanted to go out, I would have put on that red dress.”

“And I need to wait another week for game night,” teased Marinette.  “But I’ll sacrifice our time together in the name of true love.  It’s not like a week of extra training will help you take me down.”

Marinette chuckled at her own joke as her mother went to her father.  Possibly to discuss the details of their impromptu date.  Easily distracted as she was by her father’s sudden arrival, the girl finally noticed the prodding sensation coming from her purse.  Marinette took her parents’ distraction to move out of the bakery and into the back hallway.  Once the door had been securely shut, she opened her bag.

“Tikki, what—”

“Marinette, doesn’t this seem a little funny to you?” asked Tikki.  “Something’s not right…”

“What are you talking about?” returned Marinette.  “Papa takes maman on surprise dates sometimes. He’s a romantic, so it’s not that odd.”

“But the last time he did that he talked to you about watching over the store for a little bit beforehand, didn’t he?” pressed Tikki.  “And he had you help keep her distracted while he set up.”

“Yeah,” said Marinette, thinking back.  “Now that I think about it, it is a little odd…  Papa usually makes sure that everything is taken care of before these sorts of things…  And if he planned this out enough to get a tux for it, then he could have asked me to help get maman into something she’d like to wear for that kind of date.”

“Maybe you should talk to him when they come home?”

“Maybe.  I should probably check to see if they’re going to close the store before they leave or if they want me to look after things, though,” said Marinette as she opened the door behind her.  “I can probably take the time to…where’d they go?”

The bakery was empty.  The pastries were in, the sign said ‘open’, and her parents were nowhere to be found.

“They didn’t even ask me if I was okay minding the shop.”

Marinette looked over to the door, which had long since been shut, and huffed.  Granted, her parents had the right to their dates and alone time, but who did that sort of thing?  Just dumped all their responsibilities onto their daughter without even checking with her?  Maman, at least…

“Wait a second…” muttered Marinette as she thought it over.  “If papa was dressed up _that much_ , maman would have wanted to dress up, too.  She should have at least come into the house to get changed before they left.  And I definitely would have noticed that.”

She could feel rather than hear Tikki’s hum of agreement beside her.  The girl hurried to the door and peered outside.  There was nobody around.  Her parents were long gone.

“What do you think, Tikki?  It’s not like they actually _asked_ me to keep the shop open…” mused Marinette.

“Are you going to follow them as Ladybug?” asked Tikki.

“No,” replied Marinette.  “This is Marinette’s unique little problem.  It would be a bit weird if someone saw Ladybug snooping around her parents, wouldn’t it?”

“You have a point.  But are you sure you won’t be caught?”

“Trust me, Tikki,” said Marinette as she flipped the sign on the door from open to closed.  “By this point, I’m the master of grace and stealth.”

Tikki’s response was to giggle and return to Marinette’s purse.  Marinette, understanding the gentle jibe, pouted as she locked up shop behind her.

“Thanks for your vote of confidence.”

* * *

* * *

 

**Chapter 2**

 

“Dismissed!”

A crowd of boys murmured amongst one another as they made their way to the locker room.  Helmets were removed and foils were carefully set into their respective lockers as the young pupils hurried to leave.  One of the fencers moved just that much faster than the others, quickly changing out of his protective suit and placing it all in a duffel bag.  This young man bid his team mates a hasty farewell and hurried through the door.

“What’s your hurry, Adrien?  Chinese doesn’t start for two hours,” said a voice from the boy’s bag, followed by a proud burp.

“Nathalie said Father is going to be home this afternoon,” said Adrien Agreste.  Despite the fact that he had been fencing for the previous hour and a half, the boy carried with him an excited energy that could not and would not be quelled.  “I don’t think there’s anything on his schedule, so I want to at least say hi.  And did you have to eat all that Camembert at once, Plagg?  Too much of it leaves my bag smelling like mold.”

“You have no appreciation for the finer tastes in life,” sniffed Plagg, who held tightly to his precious and smelly cheese.  His black ears flattened in distaste while his whiskers and tail twitched in faux irritation.  Adrien knew Plagg was only mildly offended by his statement.  A truly angry Plagg would have gone stiff and completely rigid, so he felt comfortable enough to scoff quietly at his kwami’s dramatics.

“You’ll see,” cackled Plagg as he dove back into the boy’s bag.  “You’ll all see…”

“I’m so sure,” dead panned Adrien as he made it to the limousine.  Eagerly, the boy climbed inside and greeted his bodyguard.  The man nodded and pulled away from the curb.  Adrien knew his bodyguard was a man of few words, yet he could not help but voice his optimism to him.  “Nathalie said father might be home early today.  Do you know if that’s true?”

His bodyguard shrugged.

Having received his answer, Adrien decided to sit back and wait patiently for the two block ride to be over with.  What would he say to his father?  Hello?  Hello seemed safe enough.  But what about after that?  Surely his father kept up with his academic progress, but maybe if he talked about the photo shoots?  No, there had to be something else he could talk about.  Something father would want to hear about?  Father liked good news, though, right?  Maybe talk about the weather?  No, no, no…

The car slid smoothly to a stop, alerting Adrien.  They were home.  Wait, he wasn’t sure what he was going to say to father yet!

A not so gentle jab from his shirt pocket reminded him to kick it into gear.  The boy bid a hasty farewell to Gorilla and hurried up the steps to his mansion.  The doors parted before his touch.

And revealed an empty foyer.  Confused, the boy hurried to the right to where his father’s office lay.

“Father?” asked Adrien.  The office door was open slightly, which mean that if his father were within, he would have heard him.  Anxious, Adrien waited for acknowledgement.

“He’s not there.”

Adrien startled a little at Nathalie’s voice.  He turned to the assistant with the question on his lips, but she beat him to the punch.  “Your father had an emergency come up which he had to attend.  He shall be home in time for dinner.”

_But will he actually eat…?_

“Oh, thank you Nathalie…” said Adrien.

“Seeing as you are already home, it might be beneficial for you to finish your homework now that you have some free time on your hands.  Your Chinese tutor will be at the house in two hours.”  Nathalie never looked up from her clip board, but Adrien knew she was watching him.  Restraining a long-suffering sigh, he could only nod in compliance.

Nathalie nodded and escorted him to his room, where he tossed his duffel bag and his backpack on his bed.  He felt a little bit of his soul fly out of him.

Oh wait, that was Plagg leaving his shirt.

“Cheer up, Adrien,” said the kwami as he made lazy laps around his charge’s room.  “So your dad got a bit busy, so what?  We can have our own fun!”

“Well…  I did finish my homework earlier…” mused Adrien, feeling a little better with Plagg’s nonchalant attitude to fall back on.  Adrien could see a mischievous grin form on Plagg’s face.

“Exactly!  So we can order some cheese and you can moon over the Ladyblog.  Win-win!”

Okay, so not exactly what he had in mind.  “We did that yesterday.”

“So?  That’s what you do every day.”

Okay, he had a point.  But, still!  “What if I don’t want to look at the Ladyblog today?”

Plagg scoffed.  “You _always_ want to look at the Ladyblog.”

“But what if I want to do something different?”

“You don’t.”

“But what if I do?”

“Then so what?  What would you want to do?  Run around the city in a leather catsuit?” cackled Plagg.  “Ladybug’s not even out, there wouldn’t be a point.  Or you could sneak out of the house to catch another movie?  What about…”

Adrien, however, had stopped listening.  A mischievous look of his own grew on his face.

“That’s a great idea Plagg,” praised Adrien.  The kwami stopped talking and rolled his eyes.

“Of course it was, it was mine!  …which one, though?  The movies or the cheeseball? I think the—”

“Plagg, claws out!”

Adrien heard Plagg yelp as he got sucked into the ring, but knew he would forgive him if he had enough Camembert later.

He was off for two hours of running around Paris in a leather catsuit.

* * *

* * *

 

 

**Chapter 3**

Marinette had no idea where her parents had gone.  She had checked their favorite restaurants, even the high-end ones.  Every receptionist and front of the restaurant she had spoken with had each told her the same:  her parents had not come in.

“Maybe he planned for a romantic picnic?” asked Tikki.

“In a tux?” questioned Marinette.  “Probably not.  Though I guess he could have…”

When Tikki didn’t respond, Marinette assumed she was thinking and took it upon herself to try another restaurant.  Maybe she just went a different direction.  Curiosity fueling her, she turned around and stopped dead in her tracks.

Curiosity mounted very quickly.

* * *

Chat Noir loved the feeling of the sun’s rays against his suit.  He loved the wind mussing his already messy hair.  He loved running, being, living.  He loved it all.  He loved grinning without care and waving to passerby.  He loved being able to get away from everyone if he needed to and he loved running over the rooftops.

The cat-themed superhero did all of these things, enjoying his momentary freedom.  Today was peaceful for the city of Paris and the serenity of it all made his run all the more enjoyable.

He spent about ten minutes running before he wondered what His Lady was up to.  He loved running and the chosen isolation was far better than its forced counterpart, but he could really have done with some miraculous company.

“… _snap out of it!_ ”

Chat’s ears swiveled to the shout, which sounded very distressed.  He frowned and turned towards it.  “I know that voice…”

“… _isn’t you!_ ”

The shout prompted Chat Noir into action.  He hurried on all fours to the scene, which was not something he was quite expecting.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a classmate of his, was running away from a mutual classmate of theirs, Nathanael Kurtzberg.  It was obvious to him that she was clearly trying to get away from her follower, but he had never known Nathanael to be this aggressive in pursuit, even in akuma form.

Without much thought, Chat swooped down from his vantage spot on the roof.  He landed a few hairs in front of Nathanael—who was, by the way, somehow running at such a speed in a tux?—and bolted forward to get Marinette.

“Let go of—Chat!” the girl announced, obviously surprised by his entrance.  Chat Noir grinned.

“Sorry about the sudden rescue, princess!” called the superhero.  “Hold on tight!”

The added strength that his superhero form gave him was very useful in jumping from a car to the top of a roof with a startled Marinette in his arms.  Chat glanced back to find that Nathanael had stopped every movement, halting his pursuit.

That was odd.

Chat set Marinette down carefully and quickly turned to Nathanael, who simply stood at the base of the building, staring after them.  Not entering the building to get to the roof level, not chasing after them with amplified athletic ability, just waiting.

That was _really_ odd.

“Am I missing something here?” asked the superhero.  “Because it feels like I’m missing something here.”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” replied Marinette, who was keeping a safe distance from the ledge.  Chat couldn’t blame her for that.  It was, after all, a steep drop for a civilian.  Better safe than sorry.  “He just showed up and stared at me.  He didn’t say anything, but he reached out and almost grabbed my arm.”

Chat glanced to find the raven-haired girl with a contemplative look on her face and rubbing her wrist as she explained.  Now Chat was even more confused.  Nathanael had to be one of the most mild-mannered guys in his class.  He never made trouble and was almost always drawing something or another.  And while he knew that Nathanael had a crush on Marinette, the boy had never done something as drastic as grab her or follow her.  He knew that Nathanael was a good person.

Such action was really out-of-character for him.  Unless…

“Maybe he’s under the influence of an akuma?”

Marinette said exactly what he was thinking.  Chat nodded.

“That’s a _paw-_ sibility,” admitted Chat.  “Even as The Evillustrator he wasn’t this aggressive until he was provoked.  You didn’t say anything to him?”

Marinette huffed at the possibility, but seemed to take a moment to think about it.  “Not that I can remember.  School was fine, and I didn’t say anything before he tried to grab me.  I tried to tell him to stop, but he didn’t—or couldn’t—listen to me.”

“Well,” said Chat, turning his attention back over the ledge.  “Ladybug and—wait, where’d he go?”

“Chat Noir!”

Chat turned back around to find Marinette staring down the very conspicuous Nathanael.  His gray-teal eyes were dulled to a near complete gray and his face was expressionless.  Chat’s earlier and quick assessment had been correct:  he was dressed up.  His hair was parted to reveal his entire face, and everything from his shiny black shoes to his cuff links was spic and span.

It honestly reminded him of what he had to wear for his father’s events and he shuddered on Nathanael’s behalf.

But there was no time to feel sorry for the boy.  Nathanael was quickly approaching Marinette, hand outstretched.  The girl, for her part, seemed to be looking for something she could use to distract or even combat her obstinate pursuer.

Chat leapt in between the two and pulled out his baton.

“You know, I may not be an expert on romance,” announced the superhero as he pointed his baton towards the boy.  “But maybe you should give the princess some space.”

Nathanael was undeterred and attempted to push the baton aside.

Chat knew he gave the boy fair warning.  With the push of a button, the baton extended and hit Nathanael square in the stomach, pushing him back far enough to land three rooves away.  He then pulled his baton back and turned towards Marinette, who kept her eyes on their friend.

“Are you okay?” asked the cat-themed superhero.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Marinette.  “It surprised me how quickly he got up here, though.”

“Can I move you someplace safer?  In case he comes back again.”

Chat watched as the girl debated, and then shook her head.

“It’s probably best that you figure out what’s going on first,” said Marinette.  “Nathanael’s three buildings away, so I should be safe for now.  Besides, once you and Ladybug get to the bottom of this, I’ll be fine and I’m sure Nathanael will be, too.”

“True,” mused Chat as he turned to grab his baton.  “I guess—”

“Gah!”

Chat looked up to find Nathanael had returned, and was reaching for Marinette again.  The girl flitted away from his touch, but there was nothing in the area she could use.  Chat intervened once more, shoving Nathanael away from Marinette.  This time, he sent the boy flying out of sight.

“How did that happen?” panted Chat, the surprise of the attack taking away his breath far more than any physical exertion.

“I don’t know,” admitted Marinette.  “I thought he was far away, and then he just showed up out of nowhere.  Do you think he can teleport?”

“If that’s true, why did he wait so long to do it?  He was on solid ground for at least a minute,” mused Chat.  He frowned and watched Marinette, who appeared to be making connections of her own.  “Princess, do you mind if I wait with you to see how long until he returns?  It would probably be helpful for My Lady and I to know, and it would probably help me find some place safer for you.”

Chat didn’t understand the groan that came out of her mouth, but he understood her nod of assent.

And so they waited.

A minute passed.

Nathanael was nowhere in sight.

“So…” asked Chat, keeping an eye on Marinette, but feeling awkward for doing so.  It would probably be better if they had some semblance of small talk.  “It’s not normal for you two to go on dates?”

“Me and Nathanael?” asked Marinette, surprise evident on her face.  “Oh no.  I mean, he’s a good person and all, very sweet, but he’s not my type.”

“Huh, so I guess you’d be more into princes than the noble artist?” joked Chat.  “You’re a princess, after all.”

Marinette’s response was to stick her tongue out at him.  Chuckling, the cat held up his paws in surrender.  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.  Just trying to make small talk.”

“Then why didn’t you talk about the weather?  It’s a little too soon to pry into my love life, don’t you think?” asked Marinette, she was smiling, though, so Chat got the feeling that she was joking.  But he wasn’t sure.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” he said.  “I thought it would be good to know.”

“You’re trying to figure out why he keeps coming back for me instead of chasing after someone else?” she guessed.  Chat nodded.  Marinette really was quick to put the pieces together.  She looked away.  “Yeah, I’m wondering that, too.  I was just trying to find out where my parents went.  Papa pulled something kind of unexpected without letting anyone know, so…”

“So you were _tail_ ing them?” asked Chat, a grin on his face.  “You know what they say about curiosity and cats, princess.”

“Good thing I’m not a cat, then,” joked Marinette.  She said no more on the topic of her parents so he decided to let it drop.  He was pretty sure she hadn’t meant to let that much slip anyways.  She turned around to face the surrounding buildings.  “Nathanael’s taking his time.  He should have landed at least five minutes ago.”

“I guess the time constraint’s out, then,” agreed Chat.  He turned to survey the surrounding rooftops.  He wondered—

“He’s back!” called Marinette, and sure enough, the boy had returned.  Chat hurried forward to his princess’ defense.

What were they missing?

* * *

Marinette watched as Chat clashed with Nathanael yet again, her mind working quickly.  The first time she had come across him, he had showed up when no one was around.  After Chat’s rescue, he had just appeared on the rooftop beside them without Marinette’s notice.  Then he had taken a minute to return.  Then five.

Timing wasn’t the key, she decided.  If it were timed, they could have prepared for it.  They’d been preparing for it for a minute when Nathanael didn’t show.

They’d been too busy talking to each other.

Chat had been busy watching over her, which was getting in the way of her transforming.

And as soon as he turned his back, Nathanael had been there.

Wait…  as soon as he turned his back…

“Chat, launch Nathanael into the air and then turn around!  Make sure you’re looking away from me!”

Her (unaware) superhero partner looked at her with confusion written in his eyes.  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’m testing something!  Just trust me!” returned Marinette.  Chat frowned, but nodded.  He then did something she didn’t expect.  He separated his baton and tossed one half over to her.

“Just in case!” he called before he used his half to catapult Nathanael far, far into the air.  Marinette kept an eye on the possessed boy while she sensed her partner turn her back on Nathanael.  Then she averted her eyes.

In an instant, her pursuer was in front of her again, hand outstretched.

“Gotcha!” cried Marinette as she brought Chat’s baton down on Nathanael’s head.  Without her superhero suit, she couldn’t do near as much damage as she was accustomed to, but her civilian form had enough strength behind it to render the boy unconscious.  And that was all that was necessary.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” commented Chat from the side.  Marinette could only offer him a grin and his baton half back, tucking away a valuable piece of information.

If this was the work of an akuma, they only attacked when nobody was looking at them.

* * *

Elsewhere in the city, a purple butterfly mask made itself visible over aching eyes.

“One.”

 

 

* * *

* * *

**Chapter 4**

 

 

“I’m telling you this really isn’t necessary.”

“And I’m telling you it would make me feel better to know someone has your back if what you’re saying is true,” replied Chat as he carted Marinette to the one place he knew she would be safe.  “Besides, Princess, wouldn’t it be fun to have a day with your friend?  You can ignore the attack and stay safe while My Lady and I take care of it.”

“I don’t think you quite understand what you’re implying,” muttered Marinette.  “She won’t just—”

But it was too late.  They had arrived to their destination and Chat was already knocking.  After a moment, Mme. Cesaire opened the door.

“Marinette!  What a surprise.  And Chat Noir?  Is there something wrong?” asked the mother, worry furrowing her brow as she wiped her hands with her apron.

“Nothing really,” blurted Marinette.  Chat raised a brow in surprise.  Getting attacked by a classmate wouldn’t classify as ‘something wrong’?  “I was heading over to see if Alya wanted to watch a movie and Chat Noir wanted to tag along.”

“Really?” asked Mme. Cesaire, turning her attention to the boy.  He turned his attention to Marinette, who frowned and mimed a rather large ‘X’ just out of the Madame’s sight.

Oh.  She must not have wanted the Madame to worry.

“Well, you two just missed her.  That young man came over to take her on a date and she couldn’t say yes fast enough.”

“Huh?”  A chunk of lead sank in his stomach.

“Yes,” continued Mme. Cesaire.  “I haven’t seen Alya that excited to go out in a while, but I can’t say I blame her.  Nino cleaned up very well for it, so I’m sure the two are going to have a good time.”

“Did they say where they were going?” asked Marinette, speaking exactly what was on Chat’s mind.  Mme. Cesaire hummed as she mulled the question over.

“You know, I’m not sure they did…  In fact, Nino didn’t say much of anything at all, but I have his number so I can simply text them both if I start worrying.  He must have been so nervous, with coming over so suddenly like that.  I could have had her babysitting today,” joked the mother.  Marinette’s eyes widened and Chat knew she realized the same things he did:  1) Nino had been influenced by the strange phenomenon and 2)  he had already gotten Alya.

Chat hoped that Marinette would have enough faith in the superheroes to keep herself safe at the Cesaire’s while he and His Lady took care of the issue.

“Thank you very much, Madame,” said Chat.  He looked at Marinette—who had been in Mme. Cesaire’s vision the whole time—and wondered what she would choose to do.  On the one hand, he hoped she would impose for a while on the Cesaires until he and Ladybug could return Alya to them all safe and sound.  On the other hand, he wished he would know for certain that she would stay put if she chose to stay.  Of course, Marinette didn’t seem the type to run off hot headed into a situation she didn’t understand, but he knew Alya was her best friend and he wasn’t sure how she would react to the reporter being in the middle of danger.

Either way, he was sure he’d be distracted by the welfare of his classmate, so he decided to leave the decision in her hands.

After a moment’s hesitation, Marinette turned towards the mother and smiled.  “Is it okay if I wait for Alya here?”

Chat tried not to sigh of relief.  He hoped she would remain there once he left.

“Of course, but won’t you miss your movie?” said the woman.

“It’ll be fine,” assured Marinette.  “It was kind of last minute anyways.  We can go some other day.”

“Oh, I see,” mused Mme. Cesaire.  She turned to Chat, who then made sure Marinette was in his line of vision.  “Would you like to come in as well?  We wouldn’t mind.”

“That’s very kind of you, but this cat doesn’t like being indoors all too often,” joked the superhero.  He turned towards Marinette fully with a smile and a bow.  “Be sure not to let any wayward knights too close, princess.”

“ _Chat Noir!_ ” seethed Marinette, but Chat’s work had been done.  He merely grinned and bounded away, hoping that his little ploy to start an interesting conversation between the two women would keep Marinette safe for a little while longer.

And while those two chatted, he and Ladybug could investigate, capture this akuma, and have everyone back to normal by suppertime.  No sweat.

* * *

Big sweat.

“…so it’s a game between the two of you?” asked Mme. Cesaire for the fifth time, a curious smile on her face.  Marinette’s face burned with indignation and she swore to any kwami that existed that she would skin that cat alive.

“Yeah, he gets a little ridiculous with the nicknames,” replied the girl, hoping to wave off the **[sometimes I stop mid sentence.  Sorry. ^^;]**

**End of AmyNChan's work**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, love Marichat. X'D I wanted Mari to escape and become LB, but I wasn't sure what I was gonna do about Nathanael, since he pops up literally anytime no one is watching Mari. I guess they could have done a loophole with Tikki, but I didn't think about it. X'D Also, there was a big possibility for a reveal because of Nathanael, but I wasn't quite sure what I was gonna do with that. X'D
> 
> Anyhoot, it's here for y'all to enjoy~! *^_^*


	8. please don't touch me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Plagg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started on this and I couldn't finish it because transposing my fears and reactions onto Adrien doesn't always work. Boy's touch-starved, he wants to be held and hugged. He approves of Nino giving him hugs (seems to shy away from Chloe and his dad, though) and maintains any boundaries set by literally anyone. So his problem is opposite this so I scrapped it. X'D Anyhoot, here ya go. Supportive Plagg ftw!

“Detransform me!”

Plagg shot out of his charge’s ring with more force than normal, careening him into the nearby foosball table.  The action startled him into solid consciousness more swiftly than normal, but also more abruptly.  He was a god of chaos, destruction, and malintent!  He should not be treated this way!  The small cat turned to tell his charge as such and stopped.

Adrien Agreste had made it to the side of his couch that shielded him from the window, but no further.  The boy had curled himself up and was rubbing his arm.  Rubbing it a lot.  Intently.

“Kid…” said Plagg cautiously.  He inched closer, but stopped short.

His charge had flinched.  He murmured something.  Plagg couldn’t hear it.

“Hey, kid.”  Plagg’s second attempt fared better than the first, depending on the definition.  It garnered a reaction from the boy, but not the one he wanted.

Adrien’s hand rubbed his arm with slightly renewed vigor, as though wiping away something particularly nasty.  Probably sugar.  Plagg hated the stuff.  Smelled too sweet and got everywhere.  The kid also pulled his head closer to his body, turning more into a ball than he had been before.

**End of AmyNChan's Work**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... that's all I got on that one. X'D


	9. Try One and Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LadyNoir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually two separate attempts to answer a single question, but I couldn't get the two to interact correctly so I'll leave both shots here. X'D

“Chat?”

“Yes, bugaboo?”

“Can I ask you for some advice?  Critical advice, I mean?”

Chat Noir sat up, his ears flicking towards Ladybug, who sat upon their favorite beam of the Eiffel Tower.  Just moments ago, he had been laying across said beam, wondering how this precious time spent with his Lady could get any better.  He grinned a feline grin.

“I’ll do my best, buginette!” chirped the cat themed superhero.  Ladybug, for her part, gave his shoulder a gentle shove and he laughed.

“Do you have to keep up the pet names?” she asked.  A grin was his only reply and she sighed with a playful smirk.  Even though he knew she only saw him as a friend—she had made that point clear a few weeks ago—they had agreed to let him keep doing his thing.  He wasn’t being hurtful by any of it and if she were truly uncomfortable, Chat had made her promise to tell him honestly so he could stop.

“Okay, so what do you think love is?”

Chat blinked.  They hadn’t touched this subject in a while, not since she felt she had to tell him why she never fell for him. She had a crush on one of her classmates, but that was all the information she would give and he respected that.  He assumed she had left it alone so he could come to terms with it (which had taken a week to do).

“What brought this on?” asked Chat.  Ladybug winced.

“Sorry…  too soon?” she returned.  Chat shook his head.

 

* * *

“Chat?”

“Yes, bugaboo?”

“What do you think love is?  Objectively?”

Chat blinked from his place on the Eiffel Tower.  Ladybug was sitting with her legs dangling over the edge and a frown on her face, deep in thought.  She was beautiful, especially when she was puzzling over something.  When faced with a challenge that she was determined to overcome.  This challenge, however, puzzled Chat.

“It’s kind of a feeling,” answered he.  “Why?”

“That’s what I said!” said Ladybug, dodging his question.  He didn’t bother to ask again, knowing she was somewhere in her own world.  Besides, the answer may have pertained to her civilian life and he wouldn’t do her the dishonor of prying there.  “But everyone who asks me just shakes their head at me, like I don’t even know what love is.”

“Okay,” said Chat.  He settled back in to enjoy the crisp night air, but a question niggled at the back of his mind, desperately waiting to be asked.  “Out of curiosity, why is everyone asking you what love is?”

“They say curiosity killed the cat,” snarked Ladybug.  Chat frowned.

“But they say satisfaction brought it back,” returned he.  A thought struck him suddenly and horror filled his entire being.  There was no way…  “Wait, do you have a boyfriend? A boyfriend that you’re super in love with and the power couple of your school?  Is that why people are asking you?  For advice, maybe?”

Panic seeped into his entire being.  Ladybug had never seemed uncomfortable with his advances, but if she had a boyfriend she loved, then he would never forgive himself.  He was a gentleman, not a creep!  What if she thought he was tacky for flirting with her while she had a boyfriend?

“Chat—Chat, n—Chat, _breathe!_ ”

Oh yeah, breathing.  That was a thing, wasn’t it?  He forced his lungs to expand, bringing the air inside and opening up his throat, which had somehow closed in panic.  He turned to Ladybug.

“Doyouhaveaboyfriend?”

The question came out so quickly he wasn’t sure at first if His Lad—if Ladybug would be able to discern what he said.  He took in a couple gulps of air to repeat his question when she quickly shook her head.

“I—no, Chat, _no_ ,” assured Ladybug, running a hand over his back with that critical look of hers.  The one she wore whenever she was faced with a particularly difficult situation to deal with.  “I didn’t think one question would send you into a panic like this.”

“

**End of AmyNChan's Work**

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted them to be able to speak openly and freely and Chat kept wondering and I couldn't figure out how to naturally make that stop, so...yeah. X'D My fail is yours to enjoy~! *^_^*


	10. Cataclysm Ladybug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LadyNoir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A piece I found lurking about in my google drive. X'D I was gonna go more in-depth as to what he did, but I just...always forgot to check my Drive. X'D oops. ^^;

When Chat made that horrible mistake, it was just that: a horrible, terrible, stomach churning and vomit inducing mistake. The instant his hand grazed his partner and the black forces of destruction seeped into her, his heart stopped. 

Thankfully, hers did not. Ladybug kept fighting, a powerful force that descended mercilessly on the akuma who had quite literally forced his hand. Chat had only gotten out of his shock long enough to be of help to his lady and to celebrate with a customary fist bump.

He had cried himself to sleep that night, and would always vow that it was the worst injury he had ever gotten during his time as Chat Noir.  Worse than all the bruises and scrapes.  Worse than the limp he sported for about a week.  Worse than all the concussions he suffered and the scratches.  Worse than the headaches he worked through on a nearly daily basis.  Worse than the time he dislocated his arm.  Daring to  _ touch _ his lady with Cataclysm was more painful than all of that.

Perhaps even more painful than that, however, was the expression on his lady’s face when she finally figured out what he had long since learned.  That her cure would not, in fact, fix everything.

Chat had convinced himself that it was okay.  That his sacrifice was necessary to protect her health, to keep her in the game long enough to purify the akuma and save the day.  He had convinced himself that it was all in the line of duty.

But after three months of radio silence from his partner and treading on eggshells, he wondered if she would ever agree.

**End of AmyNChan's work**


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